Dare to make your dreams come true. The journey starts with a single step!

6 good reasons to visit Germany!

I have to be honest – I totally underestimated Germany as a travel destination. My apologies, Germany! There are so many wonderful destinations in this country, and I get one surprise after the other traveling around here. I want to present my 6 favorite reasons to visit Germany – you are welcome to add your personal favorites too!

Let me start with my home city for the last eleven years:

1) Heidelberg

The city of Heidelberg deserves its very own post, and it will have one in the future for sure. This city is famous all over the world for its castle, the students and the romantic atmosphere in the old part of the city – and it`s all as great as it sounds. This beautiful city has a deserved motto: “I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg” (after a famous German song from 1925)!

2) The City Break opportunities

OK, so we all know the cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt. Oh yes, and then you have Wiesbaden, Mainz, Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Nürnberg, Leipzig and….I could go on forever. The point is – no matter what kind of city you prefer, you will probably find it in Germany. Personally, I prefer Hamburg – my perfect place for a short break!

Medieval Nürnberg

3) The Food – not only “Wurst”

German food, what is that? You might automatically think of sausages, pork knuckle, sauerkraut and dumplings – and you will find it here for sure, but there are lots of great culinary experiences that you will discover as a big surprise. Many chefs experiment with traditional food, combining it with modern styles, creating new, exciting and also very international variations. Yammi!

Delicious culinary highlights

4) The Wine – my personal favorite

Whats the first thing that pops up in our heads when thinking of German wine? Riesling! And yes, the German wines is becoming more and more popular for good reasons. The wine here is just absolutely amazing, and it is developing so much! The Rheingau are, as well as the Palatinate, produce my personal favorite wines. To visit the winemakers, learn more about the production of wine, and most important; tasting it – it`s one of the good reasons to travel around the country.

My tips of wine tastings:

– Take the wine tasting tour through the Eberbach Abbey near Eltville (in the footsteps of Jean Connery) – it is amazing!

– Visit the Flick Winery in Hochheim – these are the vineyards of the Queen Victoria of Great Britain still today and “home” of the sparkling wine!

– Go to Rüdesheim and by a Wine Time Pass – this way you get to try wines from different high-quality winemakers in Rüdesheim like Nägler, Allendorf and Breuer – for a really great price!

Wine tasting tour of the Eberbach Abbey near Eltville

5) Value for money

We gladly pay for quality, right? And we save money to see and do the things we dream of and like. The good thing about Germany is, you get a lot for your money! The prices are really low for good quality activities compared to other European destinations. It`s just more fun when you get to do and see, eat and drink, sleep and travel – without being “broke” afterwards;-)

My tip: Check out the webpage of the local tourist office and find offers combining different activities for a good price, like for example the Ring Ticket in the Rhine Valley (just an example, you will find similar offers all over the country)!

The cable car in Rüdesheim on the Rhine

6) Being the heart of Europe

One advantage of Germany, which for me is really important, is the location on the map. You can easily travel in Germany and combine it with other great destinations like Paris, Prague or Kopenhagen (just to mention a few of the ones I like). It`s just a great hub, giving you the opportunity of discovering Europe.

I discovered Germany and I keep discovering Germany. Even though it took me some time to open my eyes for this wonderful destination (despite living here) – I am glad it finally happened!

Dare to make your dreams come true – the journey starts with a single step!

Impressions

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The first view arriving with the bus from the airport – absolutely stunning!

Pure relaxation with the girls. For me, nature is the best mediation there is!

When your`re home you can just be yourself, let it all go, be free. You become a little girl, week and strong, you get power to move on, power to handle anything coming your way. This is the place that gives me all this and my dream is to pass this on to my daughter. I love you, Josie!

This beach called “Taen” was one of my childhood playgrounds.

Only a 30-40 minutes walk up the mountains and you have this view! The mountains in the back are the famous Lofoten Islands!

A typical flower in the summer named “Geitrams” (am. fireweed)

The midnight sun lights up the Norwegian summer in the north and caresses people all night with is gentle rays of sunlight.

The Bellagio Las Vegas

Freedom!

One of my favorite trees – the Palm tree!

Fabulous Las Vegas

Water show at the Bellagio

“Little Paris”

NIKE in front of the Caesars Palace

Friendly tree-face!

Pure Norwegian nature

Colorful art on a wall – Valparaiso

Hadsel

The Grand Canyon from the shores of the Colorado River (helicopter photo break)

A guitar handbag!

Don`t fall!

The famous Skywalk!

Me and Wilfred

Luxury shopping on the Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills (known from “Pretty Woman”)

Sunset

Creative way of making money

Cali!

Charlotte at the Universal Studios

The sand and the ocean have similar “waves”

It is not hard to understand why its called Surfers Paradise!

It cannot get more golden than this – the Golden Coast!

The Australian beaches and the ocean blow you away with their beauty!

Good friends in front of the Tower Bridge!

London Graffiti and Street Art

The Frozen Yogurt Bus – sweet!

Suddenly we ended up at the Festival of Love (Southbank)!

Wonderful Brighton!

The romantic Rhine Valley!

The cable car in Rüdesheim on the Rhine

Medieval Nürnberg

Wine tasting tour of the Eberbach Abbey near Eltville

Barcelona seen from Park Güell

A bubble fairy tail

Park Güell

Park Güell

Sagrada Familia

Beautiful statue on Plaça de Catalunya

The Staten Island Ferry provides the best view of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty

Delicacies at the Chelsea Market – impossible to resist!

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

A small market place inside the Chelsea Market

Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge seen from Brooklyn

Beautiful bay view with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop

Beautiful view from the “Top of the Rock”

A typical NYC yellow cab

Hustle and bustle on Times Square – fascinating place!

Central Park

One Lovely Blog Award for Charlotteontheroad.com

Greetings from the Heidelberger Christmas market – a typical heart made of “Lebkuchen”

The Christmas magic fills you (if you want it or not:-) on the Christmas market!

Glas handcraft

There is no better backdrop for a Christmas market then the historical Heidelberg Castle!

Ice-skating is one of the activities one can attend between the meals!

Christmas magic in the “Altstadt” of Heidelberg!

The historic and dignified “Grand Hotel” in the city center was home to a number of important people visiting Oslo. Visit the hotels restaurant for at least coffee and cake to soak in the flair of the hotel.

Enjoy the view over the fjord called “Oslofjorden”.

The City Hall of Oslo (close to Aker Brygge and Akershus Festning).

The Royal Castle is situated on the top of the hill with a wonderful view of the main shopping street, Karl Johan, If the flag is up – the king is home!

Aker Brygge is a dream in the summer. You sit down, drink a glass of white wine accompanied with fresh shrimps bought directly from the ships. In the wintertime it is perfect for a stroll or for visiting one of the many restaurants lined up along the shore. This is also where you take the boat of you want to visit the island “Nesodden” (you can take the boat back and forth to see Oslo from the ocean, a great experience).

The norwegian designers behind “Moods of Norway” have opened their “Super Duper Store”s all over the world. But is there anything cooler then visiting a “Super Duper Store” in Norway? My answer is no.

The New Opera & Ballet is an architectural wonder and you can walk up on the roof, seeing the building from different angles. In the summer, there are concerts and events taking place on the roof.

Yohooo – I`m in Oslo!

The New Opera & Ballet and a frozen “Oslo Fjord” – true winter magic!

Oslo is developing fast, and new and exciting architecture is spreading. These building are situated close to the New Opera and the Main Station.

The Parlament is an important place for the country and can be visited by guests on certain days.

The stronghold “Akershus Festning” is situated right next to Aker Brygge, providing a beautiful view over the fjord and telling an important history about the nations development over the last 700 years.

This beautiful building – a hallmark of the city – was a nice view having Beignets at the Cafe du Monde just across the street.

New Orleans is full of music. These guys were really good and check out the little one – just adorable!

A cigar maker at the “New Orleans Cigar factory”!

A Bourbon glow!

A cool street musician playing in front of the famous Cafe du Monde!

The underground music bars were my favorites!

This was as close as I got to an alligator on the trip – but it was small and cute, so it was ok. I would have preferred to see him running wild, though!

The steam boats just fascinated me completely – they are beautiful!

The surroundings of the Westin Hotel are perfect for walks and relaxation. On my little walk I met numbers of suricates entertaining me on the way. Amazing!

A one and a half hour drive from Denver, you find Estes Park. Even though this is a touristy area, it is a great experience. This water wheel was a hidden treasure that I found in a side street. It is definitely worth the drive!

This zig-zag road is a beautiful view from above – just not as thrilling going down the same road with a tour bus. But hey, no risk – no fun!

On the top of the hill, from the Buffalo Bill Museum, you ave a great view over the whole valley below.

This amazing feather headdress was worn by Iron Tail, a friend of Buffalo Bill. It is to be seen in the Buffalo Bill Museum (Lookout Mountain Park, situated approx. 40 min. from Denver), as one of many jewels from this time.

These boots, worn by Buffalo Bill himself, are the coolest boots I have ever seen. Respect! (To be seen in the Buffalo Bill Museum)

Long live American (sign photographed in Estes Park)!

Seating over 9.000 people, the Red Rock Open Air Theater is famous for its wonderful acoustic and once-in-a-lifetime musical experiences. The huge red rocks on each side (ship -and creation rock) create a powerful and impressive surrounding for the magic.

The boss himself – Buffalo Bill!

Even though not living free, the buffalos are powerful and wild through their appearance. To actually see these animals was an incredible experience and the whole history of the buffalos ran through my head when observing them.

Me ready for my facial. Make-up removal is part of the treatment, so come as you are!